Area Churches That Hosted Important Civil Rights Meetings

Area Churches That Hosted Important Civil Rights Meetings. . Churches within the African American community played an important role during the civil rights movement. They were places beyond control of white power structure, as well as locations where people could express themselves without reprisal. They represented the freedom civil rights movement participants sought while meeting their congregant's spiritual needs. Churches also served as community bulletin boards. Several area churches hosted important civil rights meetings, like those of the Tuskegee Civic Association. These institutions permitted the use of their auditoriums, grounds, and infrastructure for these meetings without charge. Many important civil rights workers spoke at these churches, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy, and John Lewis. Churches in the area that were instrumental in these meetings included:, Bethel Baptist, Butler Chapel AME Zion, Friendship Baptist, , Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist, Greenwood Missionary Baptist, , Mount Olive Missionary Baptist, Solomon Chapel AME Zion, , St. Andrew's Episcopal. Washington Chapel AME, Westminster Presbyterian, Please see reverse of this marker for map locating each of these churches, {Reverse} , [Map of churches]